Pile extractor and setter



G. F. GEIGER PILE EXTRACTOR AND SETTER 2 Sheets-Sheet R 3 m 3 mm Hm 7 96 k 7 2 5 m Ji; z, um, Mwwwm i .mw hummm n IVIIIHHH HUHHHHHUMIIM. lllll l .||.H|I|.|||||||||.||||I..HHH.HHH|| HHHHHIIIIHIHT A M www. fd 7 IJ 6 4C.- 2,. //r fw, fqw/ .wwwmmmwNwxm Mwmwf f -c Y 0J r/w n f Filed Jan.

G. v4|=. GEIGER PILE EXTRACTOR A ND SE'ITI'JR April 23, 1968 Filed Jan. T, 1966 GEORGE F'.' 17E/GER ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,379,265 PILE EXTRACTR AND SE'ITIER George F. Geiger, Rte. 1, Box 336A, Charleston, S.C. 29407 Filed Ian. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 519,310 7 Claims. (Cl. 1175-215) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A tubular casing which is guided in its up and down movement by engagement over a piling and which utilizes a jet action and cutting teeth for excavating the earth around a piling to enable the piling to be raised and removed or for creating a hole in which the piling can be embedded. Ballast contained in a chamber of the casing weights the casing suiliciently to effect the excavating action as it is allowed to descend by gravity.

This invention relates to a novel device for use in extracting and setting piling, and wherein a jet action is utilized for excavating the earth around a piling to enable the piling to be readily raised or for creating a hole in which the piling can be readily embedded.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an extractor or setter including a rigid tubular body or casing of substantial weight which is adapted to be slidably mounted on a piling to be guided thereby as it is alternatively raised and dropped, whereby a lower end of the casing will be embedded in the earth when it is permitted to fall by gravity, for excavating a hole around a piling to facilitate extraction of the piling or a hole in the earth into which piling may be embedded.

Another object of the invention is to provide a weighted casing having jet nozzles opening downwardly therefrom, and downwardly extending cuting teeth for excavating the earth by a jet action and a digging action.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a pile excavator and setter wherein the cutting teeth will additionally function to shear off braces and other elements attached to a piling to facilitate extraction of the piling.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the extractor and setter;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view, partly broken away, through the upper part of the extractor and setter, taken substantially along the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged bottom plan view thereof; c

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the extractor and setter, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5--5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional Iview taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view of a modified form of the extractor and setter.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, and iirst with reference to FIGURES 1 to 6, the extractor and setter, as illustrated therein, is designated generally 9 and includes a rigid tubular jacket 10 of square cross section composed of an inner wall or liner 11, an outer wall or jacket 12 and end walls 13 and 14 which extend between lzi Patented Apr. 23, 1968 Fice and join with the walls 11 and 12. Each of the sides of the walls 11 and 12 has aligned openings 15 and 16, respectively, as seen in FIGURES 2 and 5. The openings 16 of the jacket 12 are larger than the openings 15 of the liner 11, and said aligned openings are connected by wall portions 17 which connect with liner 11 and jacket 12 and all of which are flared outwardly. The openings and 16 and the wall portions 17 combine to form a lower mud slot or port 18 and an upper mud slot or port 19 in each of the four sides of the casing 10, each of which ports or mud slots are elongated in a direction lengthwise of the casing.

The casing 10 provides an enclosed chamber 20 containing a conduit system 21 including a square upper manifold 22 which is disposed in the upper part of the chamber 20, immediately below the top wall 13. A short conduit or nipple 23 communicates with and extends outwardly from a part of the endless manifold 22, through one side of the jacket 12. An endless square manifold tubing 24 is located in the lower part of the chamber 20, above and adjacent the bottom wall 14. Pipes 25 extend between the manifolds 22 and 24 and communicate therewith. The pipes 25 are disposed near the corners of the chamber 20 and on complementary sides of the mud slots 18 and 19. Nozzles 26 communicate with and extend downwardly from the manifold 24 and open through the bottom casing wall 14, as best seen in FIGURE 6. As best seen in FIGURE 4, the bottom wall 14 is provided with a plurality of depending cutting teeth 27. The teeth 27 are preferably arranged in pairs which straddle the nozzles 26.

Strap members 2S are secured to opposite sides of the jacket 12 and extend upwardly therefrom. The upper ends of the strap members 28 have openings 29 to each of which a cable 30 can be attached for suspending the casing 1i).

The casing 10 is preferably formed of steel and the chamber Ztl thereof is preferably filled with a ballast such as concrete 31, which is disposed around the conduit system 21.

The casing 10 of square cross section is adapted for use in extracting or setting a piling 32, as seen in FIGURE 2, of the same cross sectional shape. Assuming that the piling is to be removed from the bottom 33 of a body of water 34, the casing 10, suspended by the cables 30, is lowered over the piling 32 and a hose 35 is attached to the nipple 23. The cables 3i) may be supported by a crane, not shown. A fluid, under pressure, preferably a liquid such as water, although a gas, such as air, may be utilized, is supplied through the hose and nipple 23 to the conduit system 21 and passes from the upper manifold 22 through the pipes 25 to the lower manifold 24 from which the compressed medium is discharged downwardly in jets from the nozzles 26. The casing 1t) is alternately raised and dropped so that the teeth 27 will dig into the earth or bottom 33 as the casing 10 descends by gravity, for loosening the earth to enable the jet streams emitted from the nozzles 26 to excavate the earth around the piling, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The teeth 27 will readily break up and loosen hard formations, such as gravel and clay. The excavated mud will be oated up from beneath the jet nozzles around the casing 10 and also between said casing and the piling 32. The mud floated up on the inner side of the piling will be expelled through the mud slots as indicated by the arrows 36 to prevent a congestion thereof between the piling and casing and which would tend to obstruct free sliding movement of the casing relative to the piling. When the earth or bottom 34 has thus been excavated around the piling 32 to adjacent the lower end of the piling, the piling can be readily extracted.

It will be obvious that the piling will function as a guide for the aforedescribed reciprocating movement of the casing thereon. Thus, the extractor and setter 9 may be utilized with a piling disposed at an incline rather than in an upright position as shown in FIGURE 2. The teeth 27 additionally function to shear off bracing pieces, not shown, which may be attached to the piling 32, since the weight of the ballast tilled casing 10 is adequate to accomplish this function when the casing is permitted to drop by gravity over the piling.

The casing 10 may also be utilized with the piling as a guide for excavating a hole in the bottom 33 for setting rather than extracting the piling 32, and it will be apparent that the jet streams from the nozzles 26 will create a substantially square hole into which the lower end of the piling can descend by gravity as the excavating operation proceeds.

It will be obvious that the conduit system 21 will be shielded and protected by the rigid casing 10 during either the extracting or setting operation.

The casing 10 may be made of other cross sectional shapes to accommodate it to pilings of different cross sectional shapes. FIGURE 7 illustrates a modification of the extractor and setter wherein the casing 10a is of circular shape in cross section to be mounted on a piling 32a of the same cross sectional shape. The extractor and setter 9a, as illustrated in FIGURE 7, otherwise differs from the extractor and setter 9 only in that the conduit system 21 and ballast 31 are omitted. The bottom wall 14a is provided with jet nozzles 26a which open downwardly therethrough. The chamber a is tilled with Water under pressure, as seeen at 37, by a hose and nipple, not shown. This water under pressure in addition to supplying the jet streams emitted from the nozzles 26a also supplies the ballast for the casing 10a. Thus, by shutting olf the supply of water 37 to the chamber 20a, said chamber will be drained through the nozzles 26a to lighten the casing 10a when it is to be raised and removed.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to Without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A jettype pile extractor and setter comprising an elongated rigid tubular casing including an inner Wall forming a liner, an outer wall forming a jacket and end walls connecting the liner and jacket and combining therewith to form a chamber, said casing having an un obstructed bore extending to beyond its open ends and engaging reciprocably over a piling and guided thereby, means for suspending the casing from above for up and down reciprocating movement relative to the piling, one of said end walls constituting a bottom wall, a plurality of nozzles contained in said chamber and having dis- Cil charge ends opening downwardly through said bottom wall, means for supplying a uid medium under pressure to said chamber adjacent its upper end for discharge from the casing through said nozzles to form a plurality of jet streams, and a plurality of cutting teeth tixed to and depending from said bottom wall and between which said nozzles discharge.

2. An extractor and setter as in claim 1, said ltluid under pressure comprising a liquid, said liquid lling said chamber to provide a ballast for the casing.

3. An extractor and setter as in claim 1, a conduit system contained in said chamber including an upper endless manifold connected to said means for supplying the fluid medium under pressure, a lower manifold connected to and communicating with each of said nozzles, and pipes extending between and connecting said manifolds.

4. An extractor and setter as in claim 3, and a ballast material, such as concrete, lling said chamber and in which said conduit system is embedded.

5. An extractor and setter as in claim 1, said casing having a plurality of mud slots communicating with the interior and exterior thereof for the escape of mud and other materials being excavated by the operation of the extracto-r and setter.

6. An extractor and setter as in claim 1, said casing being of a larger internal size in cross section than the cross sectional size of the piling and being of a cross sectional shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the piling whereby the casing is guided during its reciprocating movement by the piling.

7. An extractor and setter as in claim 2, said casing having a plurality of mud slots communicating with the interior and exterior thereof forrthe escape of mud and other materials being excavated by the operation of the extractor and setter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 227,484 5/1880 Case 175-422 1,355,646 10/1920 Maher 175-422 X 1,644,560 10/1927 Bignell 175-422 X` 1,853,379 4/1932 Rotinoff 61-53.74 X 2,023,966 12/1935 Montee 175-67 X 2,239,610 4/1941 Kuna 175-422 X 2,354,936 8/1944 Bigncll 175-422 X 3,020,965 2/1962 Keller 175--422 3,128,604 4/1964 Sandberg 61-53.74 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 9,612 4/ 1909 Great Britain.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

NILE C. BYERS, JR., Examiner. 

